1. Using This Manual

This manual is being offered at no cost by US Housing Consultants, but it may not be redistributed without the written consent of US Housing Consultants. It may not be copied without consent and attribution.

This manual has reworded some NSPIRE standards to conform with real estate industry standards.

• In some instances, the NSPIRE deficiency was phrased in a manner that could allow one deficiency to represent multiple conditions. For instance, a “Fire Labeled Doors” deficiency included this wording “Fire-labeled door assembly has a hole of any size or is damaged such that its integrity may be compromised.” In reading the entire standard, this one deficiency represented several conditions. In this manual, the deficiency has been listed as 1. A fire-labeled door has a hole of any size; 2. A fire-labeled door has a damaged glass pane; 3. A fire-labeled door assembly is visually damaged, affecting functionality or integrity.
• Additionally, some deficiencies have been reworded for efficiency. For instance, the Litter Standard under HUD’s NSPIRE standards reads, “10 or more small items of litter (e.g., food wrappers, pieces of food, newspapers) are present within a 10-foot by 10-foot area not designated for garbage”. In this manual, this has been phrased as, “Ten or more discarded items or pieces of litter in a 100 S.F. area”
• In some instances, the HUD NSPIRE standards present a deficiency that is inconsistent with other nationally accepted codes and standards. In these instances, a reference has been provided to the other code or standard. For instance, the handrail standard in NSPIRE indicates that railings less than 28” from the surface or more than 42” from the surface are deficiencies. However, both UFAS and ADA indicate specific measurements that are required. In this instance, any handrail that is not within 33-36” of the surface could be considered a violation of the Fair Housing Design Act. In this manual, we have provided the full requirements for items and the corresponding references.
• The chapter titles and categories in this manual were created to group concepts together in a way that conforms to all funding programs and building designs/types.
• A link to the NSPIRE standard on HUD’s website has been included for each standard.

Reading NSPIRE Deficiencies Tables

• Def# – This refers to the Deficiency Number in the Corresponding NSPIRE Standard. In some instances, the deficiencies are shown as separate conditions if the NSPIRE deficiency refers to multiple conditions
• Deficiency: This refers to a condition which should the cited
• Severity: This will be listed as Life-Threatening, Severe (aka Severe Non-Life Threatening), Moderate, or Low (Low)
• Repair Due: This is the number of days allotted for the repair to be completed. In some scenarios, the PBV/HCV repair timeframe is different, this is indicated with a “**” and a note at the bottom of the deficiency table
• HCV Rating = This is a Pass/Fail Rating. This term does not apply to any non-voucher program

Glossary of Other Terms:

• HCV = Housing Choice Vouchers
• PBV = Project-Based Vouchers
• Common Areas: This term refers to “Non-Unit” areas that are recorded in the “Inside” area on REAC Inspections. A “Common Area” is an interior or partially covered part of a building that is not used for dwelling – access to the public, or lack thereof, doesn’t define whether an area is to be inspected.